Tactically navigate a 16th century mansion for points and prestige in La Stanza

The newest game from Quined Games and designers Paulo Soledade and Nuno Bizarro Sentieiro, two men behind Nippon, Madeira, and Panamax, is now on Kickstarter. La Stanza is a tactical area movement game where 2-to-4 players move about a 16th century mansion collecting and enlisting the help of characters in order to specialize in a few key tracks of influence for points. The theme is a bit odd to say the least, because the characters are paintings, but then you can hire…the paintings, and you’re hiring them to do better at religion, or politics, or…sailing, all without leaving this house. However, theme aside, this is really close to (but not quite) a rondel game like Antike or Trajan, and that is awesome!

“A 16th century mansion is the setting for this game, you’ll acquire paintings of well-known individuals, like William Shakespeare or Michelangelo. Each of these paintings will give you a special action in one of five rooms. You need to have these paintings in your personal supply to perform the corresponding action.”

It’s hard to get that impression about this game at first, because this area movement mechanism is layered beneath an attractive classical look. Yet it’s there and very well implemented, as you will have to manage where you go to pick up resources (characters) to strengthen specific actions they’re tied to within other rooms (areas of influence), and you can only move clockwise 1-to-4 spaces each turn. Oh, and money and space are tight, so you’ll have to be very careful what you pick up and where you land, and you’ll need to specialize in only a few areas to do well while your opponents do the same. What’s more is that Quined Games has definitely given this game a look worthy of a deluxe edition with metal coins and custom wooden pieces, and that’s precisely what is available only during this Kickstarter campaign. If you’d like to find out more about La Stanza, be sure to check out the campaign page for the full rules, updates, and community feedback.

Mike is a graduate from Indiana University turned freelance writer and activist gaming enthusiast. He spends his free time discussing news and game design, watching youtube, and entertaining friends and his cat, Cicero. Mike can be reached by e-mail at mikeoflore@gmail.com or on Board Game Geek via the username Noblegrizzly.